Break from Winter; Day 13; Woodward to Ponca City

It's day 13 of our trip. Thirteen is an unlucky number but today was great nonetheless. We left our hotel in Woodward at 8:00. It was cloudy and 36 degrees but eventually the clouds gave way to sun.

Highway 412 took us east out of Woodward to 50 north to 50A east to Alabaster Caverns State Park (ACSP), where we arrived at about 8:30. The first guided tour of the cave was at 9:00 so we spent some time checking out the area including Cedar Canyon. There was alabaster all over the ground. We enjoyed the cave tour (the largest gypsum cave open to the public in the USA - or something like that) but cameras were not allowed so I have no photos.

Cedar Canyon

alabaster on the ground

Highway 50 took us back south to 50B west to Boiling Springs State Park just north and west of Mooreland, OK. We enjoyed the springs (Boiling Springs and a spring in the lake/pond near the swimming pool) and our hike to the North Canadian River.




As we were walking along we heard a loud rustling in the tall grass beside the trail. We stopped and stood silent until an armadillo popped out of the grass ahead of us and started walking in the same direction we were. I took a couple photos until it realized we were there and it ran back into the grass. I was surprised by how fast it was.



It was lunch time and we had a long way to go for chow. We drove Hwy 412/60 east from Mooreland to Enid, OK. Napoli's Italian Restaurant was our lunch stop today. And it was LARRAPIN good!



We continued east on 412, which turned into the Cimarron Turnpike, and then 177 north to Ponca City and our hotel for the evening. Before calling it a day (or night) I took Poonie through a car wash and we enjoyed a dip in the hotel's hot tub.

We drove 204 miles today and our high temperature was 51.

Click on this link to see all the photos I took today: Day 13 Pics

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